The World Health Organization (WHO) announced that two-thirds of the planet's population is infected with the herpes virus, amounting to roughly 3.7 billion people aged zero to 49 years old. The irritating virus can cause more than just cold sores.
Known in the scientific and medical community as the herpes simplex 1 virus (HSV-1), the virus usually causes orolabial ulcers or mouth ulcers. This type of herpes virus, which are common during childhood and transmitted via kisses, are pesky and at times painful.
Another type, herpes simplex 2 virus (HSV-2), also called genital herpes, causes genital ulcers and oral sex is the leading way on how the herpes virus is being transmitted from one person to another and is common in rich countries.
The improved hygiene in developed countries have lessened the prevalence of HSV-1 virus among children. However, these children are put at risk when they become sexually active.
"The global burden of HSV-1 infection is huge. Genital HSV-1 burden can be substantial but varies widely by region," wrote the researchers. They stressed that future control initiatives should tackle HSV-1's epidemiology as well as HSV-2. HSV-1's contribution to genital infection should also be addressed in potential control efforts.
When a person is infected through sores and oral secretions, the HSV-1 virus attaches to the nerve tissue located on top of the spine while the HSV-2 settles for the nerve tissue at the base of the spine. When the virus is triggered, the creep up to the surface of the skin and sometimes, this phenomenon doesn't carry alarming symptoms, leaving most cases of genital infections caused by herpes to go on undetected.
The transfer of the herpes virus from one person to another sometimes don't have any symptoms - if there were, they are typically mild. People only realize they have been infected when viral antibodies are found in blood tests. While prescription medications are capable of treating symptoms outbreaks, these antiviral medications do not cure the virus. Recurring herpes infections are also typical among infected people.
"We really need to accelerate the development of vaccines against herpes simplex virus, and if a vaccine designed to prevent HSV-2 infection also prevented HSV-1, it would have far reaching benefits," said WHO medical officer Sami Gottlieb.
WHO published their findings in the Public Library of Science journal PLoS ONE on October 28, 2015.
